Education: Wish Granted

The father didn't know what to do with his obstreperous teen-aged
sonuntil he spotted the poster announcing a new sort of school. The
school taught only one subject; it had only one teacher and only one
classroom on the seventh floor of a dingy Chicago office building. But
that day in 1896, the father entered his son just the same. He wanted
the teacher, he said, to give his boy "personal attention."

Irish-born Teacher John Gregg had no alternative but to carry out the
father's wishes: the boy happened to be his first and only pupil. Six
months later, he was also...